JP2016025455A - Image formation apparatus, server device, image formation system, control method for image formation apparatus, control method for server device, image formation apparatus control program and server device control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation apparatus having high security performance and high processing performance of various functions.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus 101 includes a function of imaging a Web page provided by an external Web server 70 to provide a user. The image formation apparatus 101 acquires information about the Web page, and based on the acquired information, discriminates whether or not a predetermined discrimination condition is satisfied (S21). The image formation apparatus 101 then transmits the information about the Web page to an external server device 60, which is different from the Web server 70, according to the discrimination result (S22), and thereafter acquires the information transmitted from the server device 60 (S25). Then, the image formation apparatus 101 images the Web page according to the information transmitted from the server device 60 (S26).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a server apparatus, an image forming system, an image forming apparatus control method, a server apparatus control method, an image forming apparatus control program, and a server apparatus control program. IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, SERVER APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CONTROL METHOD, SERVER APPARATUS CONTROL METHOD, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CONTROL PROGRAM, AND SERVER The present invention relates to a device control program.

  As an image forming apparatus, an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having a scanner function, a facsimile function, a copying function, a printer function, a data communication function, and a server function, a facsimile apparatus, a copying machine, and a printer are widely used. ing. A recent image forming apparatus has a function as a web browser, and can browse a web page or print a web page as an image, for example, using a display panel provided in the image forming apparatus. There is something like that.

  In an image forming apparatus having a function as a web browser, a security problem becomes a threat. For example, some web pages contain malicious data, such as those that function as computer viruses. By browsing such a web page, there is a risk that user information registered in the image forming apparatus or information stored in the storage area may be leaked to the outside or destroyed. For this reason, various measures are taken in the image forming apparatus so that such security problems do not occur.

  In the following Patent Document 1, even if a URL for reading secret information is known by preparing a browser that can access confidential information in the apparatus and an inaccessible browser in the image forming apparatus, It is disclosed that access to secret information cannot be made without using a browser having access authority to the secret information.

  In Patent Document 2 below, when an electronic file transmitted from a terminal device is received, a virus that only has a relatively high possibility of being infected with a computer virus is detected according to the type of the electronic file. A configuration of a document management server configured to perform a check is disclosed.

  In Patent Document 3 below, in order to prevent a computer virus from being mixed through an applet that processes printing data in a printer device and destroying font data and programs inside the device, the virus detection unit detects the virus in the applet. It is disclosed that processing is performed by the applet after confirming that no is mixed.

  Patent Document 4 listed below prevents confidential information from being leaked due to unauthorized access to user data in a print processing system, or preventing user data from being altered by infection with a computer virus or the like via a network. For this reason, it is disclosed that stored job data is divided into storage devices in an isolated area, encrypted and managed.

JP 2013-061818 A JP 2008-77231 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-119927 JP 2005-178070 A

  Various countermeasures can be considered for the security problem in the image forming apparatus as described above, but these countermeasures have problems.

  That is, for example, it is conceivable to introduce anti-virus software for preventing an adverse effect caused by a computer virus or the like into an image forming apparatus as is done in a personal computer. However, it takes time to introduce such software into the image forming apparatus. In particular, when a large number of image forming apparatuses are used in the same office or the like, a huge amount of work is required. Even if anti-virus software can be introduced into the image forming apparatus, the processing speed and the like of the general operation of the image forming apparatus may deteriorate due to the software being constantly executed in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, there is a problem in introducing such software into the image forming apparatus.

  In addition, it is conceivable that the image forming (rendering) work is performed on the external server device based on the content information of the web page, and the image forming device uses the image acquired from the server device. However, in the case of adopting such a method, if an image having a large data size (for example, a high-resolution image or a high-quality image) is used in the image forming apparatus, information is transferred from the server apparatus to the image forming apparatus. The amount increases, and the processing speed of the image forming apparatus is adversely affected. In order to avoid such a problem, another problem arises that an image having a small data size (for example, a low-resolution image or a low-quality image) must be used.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an image forming apparatus, a server apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming apparatus having high security performance and high processing performance for various functions. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus control method, a server apparatus control method, an image forming apparatus control program, and a server apparatus control program.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user includes a first acquisition unit that acquires information about the web page, 1 based on the information acquired by the acquisition means, a determination means for determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied, and a web page on an external server device different from the web server according to the determination result of the determination means Based on the information acquired by the transmission means for transmitting information, the second acquisition means for acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the transmission means, and the information acquired by the second acquisition means Imaging means for performing the imaging.

  Preferably, when the determination unit determines that the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied, the transmission unit transmits information on the web page to the server device, and the determination unit determines that the predetermined determination condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the predetermined determination condition is satisfied, the second acquisition unit does not transmit the information about the web page to the server device. Get from.

  Preferably, the first acquisition unit acquires content information of a web page, and the determination unit performs determination based on the content information.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a communication protocol for acquiring content included in the web page.

  Preferably, the determination unit analyzes the area structure of the web page based on the content information, and performs determination for each area of the web page.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to an attribute of content included in a web page area.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of content included in the web page.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes accepting means for accepting an operation for designating a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) relating to the web page from the user, and the first obtaining means obtains the URI accepted by the accepting means, and discriminating means. Determines based on the URI.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes a management unit that manages an access history to the web page, and the predetermined determination condition is that the web page has been accessed or the domain to which the web page belongs has been accessed. Including being.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition is that the web page or the domain to which the web page belongs conforms to a preset white list, or the domain to which the web page or the web page belongs does not conform to a preset black list. Including that.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a server device capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user receives information on the web page transmitted from the image forming apparatus. The receiving means for receiving, the acquiring means for acquiring the content information of the web page based on the information received by the receiving means, and partially imaging the web page based on the content information acquired by the acquiring means An imaging unit that performs processing, and a transmission unit that transmits information processed by the imaging unit to the image forming apparatus.

  Preferably, the imaging unit determines whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the content information acquired by the acquisition unit, and performs a process of imaging according to the determination result.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a communication protocol for acquiring content included in the web page.

  Preferably, the determination unit analyzes the area structure of the web page based on the content information, and performs determination for each area of the web page.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to an attribute of content included in a web page area.

  Preferably, the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of content included in the web page.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, an image forming system including an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user, and a server apparatus that can communicate with the image forming apparatus. The forming apparatus includes: a first acquisition unit that acquires information about a web page; a first determination unit that determines whether a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired by the first acquisition unit; A first transmission unit that transmits information about the web page to the server device according to a determination result of the first determination unit; and a second unit that acquires information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the first transmission unit is performed. The server device has an acquisition means and an imaging means for imaging a web page based on the information acquired by the second acquisition means, and the server device is transmitted by the first transmission means. A receiving unit for receiving information, a content acquiring unit for acquiring content information of the web page based on information received by the receiving unit, and an image of the web page partially based on the information acquired by the content unit Server-side imaging means for performing processing to be converted, and second transmission means for transmitting information processed by the server-side imaging means to the image forming apparatus.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user includes a first acquisition step of acquiring information about the web page, A determination step for determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired in the acquisition step, and an external server device different from the web server according to the determination result of the determination step A transmission step for transmitting information, a second acquisition step for acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the transmission step, and a web page based on the information acquired by the second acquisition step. An imaging step for imaging.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a server device capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the user with the web page is transmitted from the image forming apparatus. A receiving step for receiving information about the page, an acquisition step for acquiring content information on the web page based on the information received by the receiving step, and a partial web page based on the content information acquired by the acquiring step An imaging step for performing an imaging process, and a transmission step for transmitting information processed by the imaging step to the image forming apparatus.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a control program of an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user includes a first acquisition step of acquiring information about the web page, A determination step for determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired in the acquisition step, and an external server device different from the web server according to the determination result of the determination step A transmission step for transmitting information, a second acquisition step for acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the transmission step, and a web page based on the information acquired by the second acquisition step. And causing the computer to execute an imaging step for imaging.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a control program for a server device that can communicate with an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user is transmitted from the image forming apparatus. A receiving step for receiving information about the page, an acquisition step for acquiring content information on the web page based on the information received by the receiving step, and a partial web page based on the content information acquired by the acquiring step The computer is caused to execute an imaging step for performing an imaging process and a transmission step for transmitting information processed by the imaging step to the image forming apparatus.

  According to these inventions, the image forming apparatus transmits information about the web page to an external server device according to the determination result based on the information about the web page, and based on the information transmitted from the server device, Perform imaging. Therefore, an image forming apparatus, a server apparatus, an image forming system, an image forming apparatus control method, a server apparatus control method, and an image forming apparatus control program having high security performance and high processing performance for various functions , And a control program for the server device can be provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of each apparatus of an image forming system. It is a figure explaining the utilization function of the web page judged to be safe. It is a figure which shows an example of the state by which the web page judged to be safe was displayed on the operation panel. It is a figure explaining the utilization function of the web page judged to be unsafe. It is a figure which shows an example of the state by which the web page judged to be unsafe was displayed on the operation panel. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the MFP for a web page use function. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a 1st safety discrimination | determination process. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of a 1st safety discrimination | determination process. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which a cloud server performs about the utilization function of a web page. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process according to area | region. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the discrimination | determination process according to area | region. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the MFP for a web page use function according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining an example of operation | movement of a 2nd safety determination process. It is a figure which shows the 1st discrimination example. It is a figure which shows the 2nd discrimination example. It is a figure which shows the 3rd discrimination example. It is a figure which shows the 4th discrimination example. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the MFP for a web page use function according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating region-specific discrimination performed by the MFP in the third embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement which a cloud server performs in 3rd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an example of the image forming system in the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The image forming system uses so-called cloud computing technology. For example, output by an image forming apparatus in an intranet arranged in a LAN (local area network) or the like can be performed from an external terminal via the Internet. For example, information obtained by an image forming apparatus in an intranet can be acquired or viewed using an external terminal via the Internet. On the Internet side, a cloud server that provides such a service is provided. On the intranet side, for example, a gateway device that relays communication with the Internet is provided, and the image forming apparatus can be connected to the Internet.

  The image forming apparatus may be any of a monochrome / color copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and the like. The image forming apparatus may be an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having a scanner function, a copying function, a printer function, a facsimile function, a data communication function, and a server function. The scanner function is a function for reading an image of a set original and storing it in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like. The copying function is a function of printing (printing) it on paper or the like. The function as a printer is a function for printing on a sheet based on an instruction received from an external terminal such as a PC. The facsimile function is a function for receiving facsimile data from an external facsimile machine or the like and storing it in an HDD or the like. The data communication function is a function for transmitting / receiving data to / from a connected external device. The server function is a function that allows a plurality of users to share data stored in the HDD or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus can execute a process of imaging a web page provided by an external web server connected to the Internet and providing the image to a user. For example, an imaged web page is displayed to the user in a browser displayed on the display panel in the image forming apparatus. For example, an imaged web page is printed on paper by an image forming apparatus and output. For example, the imaged web page is transmitted to the user by a communication method such as e-mail.

  [First Embodiment]

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 10 is a cloud system composed of a plurality of device groups connected via the Internet 90. That is, the image forming system 10 includes a cloud server (an example of a server device) 60 and an MFP (an example of an image forming device) 101. The cloud server 60 and the MFP 101 can communicate with each other through the Internet 90 using a communication protocol such as HTTP.

  The cloud server 60 and the MFP 101 can communicate with the web server 70 connected to the Internet 90.

  The MFP 101 is connected to, for example, other devices (other image forming apparatuses, personal computers, server devices, etc.) constituting an intranet via a LAN or the like. The MFP 101 is connected to the Internet 90 via a gateway device or the like that relays communication between the intranet and the Internet 90. Illustration of these other devices connected to the intranet is omitted. The MFP 101 is not limited to the one connected to such an intranet. For example, it may be directly connected to the Internet 90.

  The MFP 101 has an operation panel 151. The user can give various instructions to the MFP 101 using the operation panel 151.

  Note that the cloud server 60 used in such a cloud system is merely shown as an example of a cloud system that is abstracted for each function in charge, and is a specific example that actually realizes the functions in the present embodiment. There are various possible device configurations. For example, a server that manages communication between the cloud server 60 and the MFP 101 may be provided separately from the cloud server 60. In addition, the cloud server 60 may be a single computer or a plurality of computers that operate in cooperation with each other. In each computer, one or a plurality of computers set to operate virtually may be used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of each device of the image forming system 10.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cloud server 60 includes a control unit 63 and a cloud application (an example of a control program; simply referred to as an application) 61 that operates under the control of the control unit 63. The cloud server 60 operates the application 61 on the cloud application platform and executes various control operations.

  The cloud server 60 includes a network interface (I / F) 65, an image processing unit 67, and a storage unit 69.

  The cloud server 60 is connected to the Internet 90 via the network interface 65. Accordingly, the cloud server 60 can communicate with an external device such as the MFP 101 via the Internet 90.

  The image processing unit 67 performs imaging (rendering) of a web page based on content information provided by the web server 70. The image processing unit 67 performs imaging based on the control of the control unit 63. The image processing unit 67 can perform imaging for each area of the web page. Here, the area refers to each of block level elements constituting a web page, for example. Note that the image processing unit 67 may perform imaging for each of a specific type of block level element and other elements in the web page.

  The storage unit 69 stores a control program 69b and discrimination information 69c. Various operations of the cloud server 60 are executed by the control unit 63 operating based on the control program 69b. The determination information 69c will be described later.

  The web server 70 is a server device having a general configuration having a function of providing a file in response to a file acquisition request. For example, the web server 70 includes a control unit 71, a network interface 73, and a storage unit 75. The web server 70 is connected to the Internet 90 via a network interface 73. The storage unit 75 stores web page content information 75b. The web server 70 provides content information 75b to an external device that has made a predetermined request based on the control of the control unit 71. Thereby, an external apparatus can image a web page based on the content information 75b.

  In the present embodiment, the content information 75b refers to the following information. That is, the content information 75b is information read when a web page is imaged. For example, information described in HTML, CSS (cascading style sheet), or other languages, or information indicating an image or a moving image corresponds to this.

  The MFP 101 is roughly an MFP that includes an image forming unit 111, a scanner unit 113, and a network interface 121. That is, the MFP 101 executes a print job by the image forming unit 111 to form and output an image on a sheet, reads the sheet as image data by the scanner unit 113, and executes various image processing operations. Can do. The MFP 101 is connected to the Internet 90 via the network interface 121.

  The MFP 101 includes a control unit 105, an image processing unit 107, a storage unit 119, and an operation panel 151.

  The control unit 105 is a CPU, for example, and performs various control operations for each unit of the MFP 101. That is, the MFP 101 performs various operations under the control of the control unit 105.

  The image processing unit 107 can execute imaging of a web page based on the content information 75 b acquired from the web server 70. The image processing unit 107 performs imaging based on the control of the control unit 105.

  The storage unit 119 stores various data used when the MFP 101 operates. The storage unit 119 is used to realize a BOX function. That is, user data is stored in the storage unit 119 for each user who uses the MFP 101. By referring to the storage unit 119, the user can print the stored user data on paper or send it to other users.

  For example, a control program 119b is stored in the storage unit 119. Various operations of the MFP 101 are executed by the control unit 105 operating based on the control program 119b.

  The storage unit 119 stores discrimination information 119c. Details of the determination information 119c will be described later.

  The operation panel 151 includes an operation reception unit 151b and a display unit 153. The operation panel 151 is a touch panel using a liquid crystal display as the display unit 153, for example. The operation panel 151 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons, and the operation buttons and the touch panel function as the operation reception unit 151b.

  When the user operates the operation panel 151 (specifically, when an operation button or a touch panel is operated), the operation is received by the operation reception unit 151b. The control unit 105 executes various controls according to the contents of the operation received.

  [Explanation of Web page use function]

  The MFP 101 has a web page use function. The use function of the web page is performed using the operation panel 151 when the control unit 105 executes the control program 119b.

  The web page use function is, for example, the following function. For example, the control unit 105 converts the web page specified as a browsing target by the user into an image and displays it on the operation panel 151. Further, for example, the control unit 105 converts the web page designated by the user into an image and outputs it from the image forming unit 111. Further, for example, the control unit 105 converts the web page designated by the user into an image and transmits the image to another user. That is, by performing such a web page use function, an imaged web page is provided to the user.

  For example, the user can designate a web page by performing an operation for specifying the URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of the web page to be used using the operation panel 151. That is, it is included in an operation for directly inputting a URI as a character string, an operation for specifying a URI by designating a web page registered as a so-called bookmark, a web page being browsed using the operation panel 151, or the like. It is possible to perform an operation for specifying a URI by designating a hyperlink.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the MFP 101 determines whether or not the web page to be used is safe, and performs different operations depending on the determination result.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a function for using a web page that is determined to be safe.

  As shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the URI of a web page that is determined to be safe is designated by the user in step S11. When the URI is designated, the MFP 101 (the control unit 105 of the MFP 101) determines whether or not the web page is safe.

  If it is determined that the web page is safe, in step S12, the MFP 101 sends an acquisition request (GET) for information (content information 75b) specified by the URI to the web server 70 specified by the URI. Sent.

  In step S <b> 13, the web server 70 transmits content information 75 b to the MFP 101 in response to the acquisition request.

  The MFP 101 converts the web page into an image based on the received content information 75b. In step S <b> 14, the MFP 101 displays the imaged web page on the display unit 153 of the operation panel 151. Thereby, a web page is provided to the user.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which a web page that is determined to be safe is displayed on the operation panel 151.

  As shown in FIG. 4, for example, a browser screen is displayed on the display unit 153 of the operation panel 151. The browser screen includes an operation part 201 and a display part 203. The operation part 201 is provided with an address bar or the like for displaying a URI or the like. The display part 203 displays the contents of the web page. The web page displayed on the display portion 203 is an image based on the content information.

  The area indicated by hatching in FIG. 4 shows the imaged web page 210. In FIG. 4, each of the areas surrounded by a two-dot chain line indicates an individual area included in the web page 210. 4, the entire area of the web page 210 has been imaged by the image processing unit 107 of the MFP 101, as indicated by being surrounded by a broken line.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a function of using a web page that is determined to be unsafe.

  As shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the URI of a web page that is determined to be unsafe is designated by the user in step S21. When the URI is designated, the MFP 101 determines whether or not the web page is safe.

  If it is determined that the web page is not safe, the URI is transmitted from the MFP 101 to the cloud server 60 in step S22. That is, in this case, information regarding the web page is transmitted from the MFP 101 to the cloud server 60.

  In step S23, the cloud server 60 (the control unit 63 of the cloud server 60) requests the web server 70 specified by the URI to acquire the content information 75b specified by the URI based on the received URI. I do.

  In step S24, the web server 70 transmits the content information 75b to the cloud server 60 in response to the acquisition request.

  The cloud server 60 determines whether each web page area is safe based on the acquired content information 75b. If not safe, the cloud server 60 images the area based on the content information 75b. The cloud server 60 performs such processing for each region, and processes the content information 75b so that the web page can be imaged with the imaged information and other information.

  In step S <b> 25, the cloud server 60 transmits the processed information to the MFP 101.

  The MFP 101 converts the web page into an image based on the received information (information after processing in the cloud server 60). In step S <b> 26, the MFP 101 displays the imaged web page on the display unit 153 of the operation panel 151. Thereby, a web page is provided to the user.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state where a web page determined to be unsafe is displayed on the operation panel 151.

  A region indicated by hatching in FIG. 6 shows the imaged web page 220. In FIG. 6, each of the areas surrounded by a two-dot chain line indicates an individual area included in the web page 210.

  As shown by being surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 6, the web page 220 is divided into a safe area 221 and a non-safe area 227. The non-safe area 227 is imaged by the cloud server 60 and transmitted to the MFP 101. The MFP 101 performs imaging based on the information after processing in the cloud server 60 so that the imaged non-safe area 227 is arranged at the position of the non-safe area 227 indicated by the original content information 75b. Thus, the web page 220 is imaged. That is, the web page 220 is imaged in the same way as when the MFP 101 directly images the web page 220 based on the content information 75b.

  Next, the flow of such processing will be described.

  [Description of Operation of MFP 101 Regarding Web Page Utilization Function]

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation performed by the MFP 101 for a web page use function.

  The processing shown in FIG. 7 is performed by the control unit 105 of the MFP 101 controlling the operation of each unit of the MFP 101. Here, it is assumed that an instruction for displaying a web page on the display unit 153 as an image (an aspect of using the web page) is given by the user.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in step S <b> 101, the control unit 105 receives an operation input by the user. At this time, an operation for designating a URI related to the web page is accepted from the user. As a result, the control unit 105 acquires information of the URI designated by the user.

  In step S102, the control unit 105 performs a first safety determination process. In the first safety determination process, it is determined whether a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the acquired URI. The predetermined determination condition is a condition for determining whether or not the web page corresponding to the URI is safe (whether or not it is a safe connection destination).

  In step S103, it is confirmed whether or not the web page corresponding to the URI, that is, the web page designated by the user is safe. In the first safety determination process, when it is determined that a predetermined determination condition is satisfied, the web page is confirmed to be safe.

  When it is confirmed in step S103 that it is safe, the process of step S104 is performed. That is, in order to acquire content information (original data) identified by the URI, the control unit 105 requests information transmission to the web server 70 that provides the content information. As a result, the content information is transmitted from the web server 70 to the MFP 101.

  In step S105, the control unit 105 receives the transmitted content information.

  In step S106, the control unit 105 performs an imaging process based on the content information. Thereby, an image showing a web page is generated.

  On the other hand, when it is confirmed in step S103 that it is not safe, processing in steps S107 to S109 is performed instead of the processing in steps S104 to S106 described above. That is, the MFP 101 does not directly access the web server 70 but accesses via the cloud server 60.

  In step S <b> 107, the control unit 105 notifies the cloud server 60 of information related to the web page. For example, the URI input by the user is transmitted from the MFP 101 to the cloud server 60 as the connection destination information of the web page.

  When the URI is transmitted to the cloud server 60 as described above, the cloud server 60 receives and processes the content information of the web page indicated by the URI, and transmits the processed information to the MFP 101 as described later. .

  In step S <b> 108, the control unit 105 receives the processed information transmitted from the cloud server 60.

  In step S109, the control unit 105 performs an imaging process based on the received processed information. Thereby, an image showing a web page is generated.

  When the imaging process is performed in step S104 or step S109, the process of step S110 is performed. That is, in step S110, the control unit 105 displays the imaged web page (image indicating the web page) on the display unit 153.

  In step S111, the control unit 105 updates the access history. That is, in the present embodiment, based on the control by the control unit 105, information on the web page used based on the web page use function is managed as an access history. For example, the access history is recorded in the storage unit 119 as discrimination information 119c. As the access history, for example, information such as the URI of the web page and the access date / time is recorded. Recording of the access history is performed in the same way whether the MFP 101 directly accesses the web server 70 (steps S104 and S105) or the cloud server 60 (steps S107 and S108). The access history may be recorded only when the MFP 101 directly accesses the web server 70.

  When the processing in step S111 is performed, a series of operations is completed.

  When a predetermined operation by the user is performed in a state where the web page is displayed on the display unit 153, or when a URI input operation is performed after a predetermined instruction is performed in advance, an image indicating the web page is displayed. May be printed on paper and output, or attached to an e-mail or the like to send an image showing a web page to another user or the like (another aspect of using a web page).

  [Description of first safety determination process]

  In the first safety determination process, whether or not a web page is safe is determined based on, for example, the URI of the web page.

  That is, in the storage unit 119, information relating to the access history and a white list in which domain names that can be determined as safe connection destinations are recorded as the determination information 119c. The information related to the access history is updated as described above each time a web page use function is performed.

  The control unit 105 determines whether or not the web page is safe by determining whether or not the specified URI matches a predetermined determination condition. In the present embodiment, for example, discrimination is performed based on two types of discrimination conditions. Specifically, the predetermined determination condition includes having accessed a web page (condition regarding access history). Further, for example, the predetermined determination condition includes that the web page conforms to a preset white list (condition regarding the white list).

  For example, the predetermined determination condition may include having accessed the domain to which the web page belongs.

  The predetermined determination condition may include that the domain to which the web page belongs conforms to a preset white list. Further, the predetermined determination condition may include that the web page or the domain to which the web page belongs does not conform to a preset black list. In this case, a black list in which domain names that are not determined to be safe are registered in advance as the determination information 119c.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the first safety determination process.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in step S131, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the web page is of a domain registered in advance based on the URI. The determination is made based on the white list recorded as the determination information 119c.

  If it is not registered in step S131, in step S132, the control unit 105 determines whether the connection destination has been accessed based on the URI. The determination is made based on the determination information 119c recorded for the access history.

  If the domain is registered in advance in step S131 and the connection destination has been accessed in step S132, in step S133, the control unit 105 determines that the web page is safe.

  On the other hand, if the connection destination has not been accessed in step S133, the control unit 105 determines in step S134 that the web page is not safe.

  If discrimination | determination of step S133 or step S134 is performed, it will return to the above-mentioned process.

  As described above, since it is determined whether the web page is safe based on the URI, it is possible to easily and quickly determine whether the web page is safe.

  In addition, it is determined that the web page is safe only when the web page is a domain registered in advance and is a connection destination that has been accessed (when both of the above two conditions are satisfied). You may be made to do.

  In addition, the determination is not limited to that performed based on the two types of conditions such as the condition regarding the white list and the condition regarding the access history. For example, it may be performed based only on the condition regarding the white list, or may be performed based only on the condition regarding the access history.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the first safety determination process.

  The first safety determination process is not limited to the one shown in FIG. For example, a condition relating to a communication protocol for acquiring content information of a web page may be included as the predetermined determination condition.

  For example, the web page URI scheme uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), and the server certificate of the web server 70 that provides the web page is signed by an appropriate certificate authority. It is assumed that the determination condition is set.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, in step S231, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the connection is using SSL based on the URI. Specifically, for example, when the URI scheme is HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), it is determined that the connection uses SSL. For example, when the URI scheme is HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), it is determined that the connection is not using SSL.

  If it is determined in step S231 that the connection is using SSL, it is determined in step S232 whether the server certificate has been successfully verified. If the server certificate is based on a proper certificate authority, it is determined that the verification is successful.

  If the verification is successful in step S232, it is determined in step S233 that the web page is safe.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S231 that the connection is not SSL, or if it is determined in step S232 that the verification is not successful, it is determined in step S234 that the web page is not secure.

  If discrimination | determination of step S233 or step S234 is performed, it will return to the above-mentioned process.

  As described above, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the web page is safe based on the designated URI communication protocol. Further, it is possible to rationally determine whether or not the web server 70 newly designated as the connection destination is safe.

  [Description of the operation of the cloud server 60 regarding the use function of the web page]

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by the cloud server 60 for the web page usage function.

  The processing shown in FIG. 10 is performed by the control unit 63 of the cloud server 60 controlling the operation of each unit of the cloud server 60. Here, it is assumed that the URI of the web page to be used is transmitted from the MFP 101 to the cloud server 60 as described above.

  In step S <b> 121, the control unit 63 receives the URI transmitted from the MFP 101.

  In step S122, the control unit 63 makes a transmission request for information to the web server 70 that provides the content information in order to acquire the content information (original data) identified by the received URI. As a result, the content information is transmitted from the web server 70 to the MFP 101.

  In step S123, the control unit 63 receives the content information transmitted from the web server 70.

  In step S <b> 124, the control unit 63 analyzes the received content information and performs region-specific processing on the web page.

  In step S <b> 125, the control unit 63 transmits information after the area-specific processing to the MFP 101. At this time, the control unit 63 converts the content information so that the imaged image is displayed for the area determined to be unsafe, and transmits the converted information as processed information.

  Specifically, for example, content information is converted by using an interframe format so that information on different frames is displayed in an area determined to be unsafe. An imaged image is arranged in the frame. The information after processing includes, for example, an HTML file in which such a web page structure is described and an imaged image. By imaging the processed information using the imaged image, an image similar to that obtained when the original content information is imaged as it is can be obtained.

  When the process of step S125 ends, a series of processes ends.

  [Description of processing by area]

  In the area-specific discrimination process, the area structure of the web page is analyzed based on the content information of the web page. Then, for each area of the web page, it is determined whether or not the area is safe. If the area is not safe, an imaging process is performed on the area (area imaging process).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the area-specific processing.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in step S <b> 161, the control unit 63 specifies a region to be processed next in the web page region. And the content information (original data) about the process target area is acquired.

  In step S162, an area-specific determination process is performed. Thus, it is determined whether the processing target area is safe content or not safe content.

  In step S163, it is confirmed whether or not it is determined that the processing target area is safe content. If it is determined in step S163 that the content is safe, the process directly proceeds to step S165.

  When it is determined in step S163 that the content is not safe, the process proceeds to step S164. That is, the control unit 63 performs imaging processing of the processing target area. The imaging process is performed based on the content information of the processing target area.

  When the above processing for the processing target region is completed, it is confirmed in step S165 whether or not the processing has been completed for all the regions constituting the web page. If there is an unprocessed area, processing for the area is performed after step S161.

  If it is confirmed in step S165 that the processing has been completed for all areas, the processing returns to the above-described processing.

  Here, the area-specific determination processing is performed based on a determination result as to whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied, for example, as follows. As the predetermined determination condition, for example, a condition related to the URI of the content included in the region of the web page may be included.

  For example, in the present embodiment, a list (white list) of domains (permitted domains) that may be determined to be safe is preset in the storage unit 69 as the determination information 69c.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the region-specific determination process.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in step S171, the control unit 63 analyzes the content information of the portion of the processing target area. Specifically, for example, the URI of the resource used when imaging the processing target area is extracted.

  In step S172, the control unit 63 determines whether or not to access a resource of a domain that is not the permitted domain set in the determination information 69c when the processing target area is imaged. The determination is made on the extracted URI.

  When it is determined in step S172 that the domain that is not the permitted domain is not accessed, in step S173, the control unit 63 determines that the content in the area is safe.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S172 that access is made to a domain that is not a permitted domain, in step S174, the control unit 63 determines that the content in that area is not safe.

  If discrimination | determination is performed by step S173 or step S174, it will return to the above-mentioned process according to area | region.

  In the area-specific determination process, the predetermined determination conditions are not limited to those described above. Further, a plurality of determination conditions may be set, and the determination may be performed depending on whether any one of them is satisfied or whether all the conditions are satisfied.

  For example, the predetermined determination condition may include a condition related to a communication protocol for acquiring resources such as content included in the web page. In this case, for example, the URI of the resource used when imaging the processing target area is extracted. If all URI schemes are HTTPS, it is determined that the content in the area is safe. On the other hand, if all of the URIs include those whose scheme is not HTTPS, it is determined that the content of the area is not safe.

  As described above, it is possible to easily perform the determination by determining whether or not the content of the processing target area is safe based on the communication protocol for acquiring the resource. Further, it is possible to rationally determine whether or not a resource provider that has not accessed until now is safe.

  Further, the predetermined determination condition may include a condition relating to an attribute of content included in the web page area. For example, it is determined whether or not a predetermined type of element (such as an element indicating a moving image or an element indicating sound) is included in the processing target area. When such an element is included, it is determined that the content in that area is not safe. For example, the predetermined target area includes an element (such as a frame element) indicating the structure of a predetermined type of web page, or includes elements or information related to a simple program such as a script element or script description. In such a case, it may be determined that the content in that area is not safe.

  Thus, it can be easily determined by determining whether or not the content of the processing target region is safe based on the condition regarding the attribute of the content. It is possible to reliably determine that content having an attribute that may have a high risk is not safe. For example, it is possible to easily determine that a character area and a still image area are safe, and a moving image area to be an unsafe area.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, content information is acquired by the cloud server 60 for a web page that is determined to be unsafe. Then, the cloud server 60 performs imaging on an unsafe area, and then transmits web page information to the MFP 101. The MFP 101 images the web page based on the imaged information and the information of the area determined to be safe. Therefore, when using a web page that may be unsafe, it is possible to avoid imaging directly by the MFP 101 and to increase the security performance of the MFP 101.

  When using a safe web page, the MFP 101 performs imaging as usual without using the cloud server 60. Therefore, the amount of communication between the MFP 101 and the cloud server 60 can be suppressed. Further, when using a web page that may be unsafe, the cloud server 60 does not image all the page, but the page is partially imaged. Specifically, imaging is performed only for an area determined to be unsafe in the web page. In other words, imaging is performed by the MFP 101 as much as possible within a range in which safety can be ensured. Therefore, the amount of communication between the MFP 101 and the cloud server 60 can be suppressed. Further, using the safe information processed by the cloud server 60, the MFP 101 can image a web page as a high-quality image.

  [Second Embodiment]

  Since the basic configuration and basic operation of the image forming system in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will not be repeated here. In the second embodiment, a part of the operation performed by the MFP 101 regarding the web page utilization function is different from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the MFP 101 for the web page use function according to the second embodiment.

  In FIG. 13, the processing of steps S301 to S305 is performed in the same manner as the processing of steps S101 to S105 in FIG. Further, the processes in steps S308 to S313 are performed in the same manner as the processes in steps S106 to S111 in FIG.

  That is, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that the web page is safe based on the processing result of the first safety determination process, the second safety determination process for the web page is further performed. .

  Specifically, when the control unit 105 of the MFP 101 receives the content information transmitted from the web server 70 (step S305), the process of step S306 is performed. That is, in step S306, a second safety determination process is performed. Whether or not the web page is safe is determined by the second safety determination process.

  In step S307, the control unit 105 confirms whether or not the web page is determined to be safe (safe content).

  If it is determined in step S307 that it is safe, in step S308, the MFP 101 performs an imaging process based on the received content information.

  On the other hand, if it is not determined to be safe in step S307, the processing from step S309 is performed. That is, the same processing as when the safety is not determined in the first safety determination processing is performed. Specifically, the control unit 105 notifies the cloud server 60 of information related to the web page, and receives information after processing by the cloud server 60.

  Here, in the second safety determination process, it is determined whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the acquired content information of the web page. Then, according to the determination result, it is determined whether or not the web page is safe. In other words, it is determined whether or not the web page is safe based on the content information of the web page.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the second safety determination process.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14, a case is assumed in which three as described later are provided as predetermined determination conditions.

  In step S351, the control unit 105 analyzes the content information of the web page. Specifically, for example, a URI of a resource used when imaging a web page is extracted.

  In step S352, the control unit 105 determines whether there is a request for storing a cookie other than the permitted domain based on the content information. Whether or not the domain is permitted may be determined based on the determination information 119c stored in the storage unit 119, as described in the first embodiment, for example.

  In step S353, the control unit 105 determines that the web page is a script file (for example, JavaScript (registered trademark)) that is specified by a URI other than the permitted domain, based on the content information. It is not included).

  In step S354, based on the content information, the control unit 105 determines whether access to resources in the MFP 101 is requested as the web page is imaged (for example, according to specifications such as HTML5 WebStorage). It is determined whether or not there is a request for writing information to the storage unit 119.

  When all of the three determination conditions, that is, there is no storage request in step S352, no script file is included in step S353, and no access is requested in step S354, the control unit in step S355 is satisfied. 105 determines that the content of the web page is safe.

  On the other hand, when any one of the above three determination conditions is not satisfied, in step S356, the control unit 105 determines that the content of the web page is not safe.

  If discrimination | determination is performed by step S355 or step S356, it will return to the process shown by the above-mentioned FIG.

  In the second safety determination process, only one determination condition may be set. Further, a plurality of determination conditions may be set, and the determination may be performed depending on whether any one of them is satisfied or whether all the conditions are satisfied.

  The predetermined determination conditions are not limited to those described above. Various predetermined determination conditions are conceivable. For example, it may be the same as the predetermined determination condition for each region in the region-specific determination process of the first embodiment. That is, the determination may be made according to the URI of the content (resource) included in the web page. The determination may be performed according to a communication protocol for acquiring content included in the web page. The determination may be performed according to the attribute of the content included in the web page. In the area-specific determination process, such a determination can be performed based on the content information of the processing target area, whereas in the second safety determination process, the same is performed based on the content information of the entire web page. The determination can be made according to the determination conditions.

  In the second safety determination process, it is determined whether or not the web page is safe by determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on a part of the content information of the web page. It may be. For example, based on the description of the HTML header part of the content information of the web page, it may be determined whether or not the web page is safe.

  [Description of discrimination example]

  Here, an example of determination in the second safety determination process will be described while exemplifying specific content information. In the following, the second safety determination process will be described, but the determination can be performed in the same manner in the area-specific determination process.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a first discrimination example.

  FIG. 15 shows an example of the header content C1 in the HTML file of the web page as the content information. When the URI included in the content C1 is viewed, for example, a CSS (cascading style sheets) file or a JS file specifies a domain (example.net) different from the domain in which the content C1 is present. In such a case, it is determined that the content of this web page (or the area related to this description) is not safe.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a second determination example.

  FIG. 16 shows an example of the header content C2 in the HTML file of the web page that is the content information. For example, when looking at the URI of a CSS file or JS file included in the content C2, it can be seen that SSL is not used as the communication protocol. In such a case, it is determined that the content of this web page (or the area related to this description) is not safe.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a third discrimination example.

  FIG. 17 shows an example of the content C3 for a specific element in the CSS file of the web page that is the content information. For example, the content C3 includes the URI of the image designated as the background. If a link to such an external content image is included and the communication protocol does not use SSL, the content of this web page (or the area to which this description relates) ) Is not safe.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a fourth determination example.

  FIG. 18 shows an example of the body part content C4 in the HTML file of the web page as the content information. In the content C4, the scheme part is omitted from the URI indicating the displayed image. Therefore, it is unclear whether this communication protocol is based on HTTP or based on SSL, such as HTTPS. In such a case, it is determined that the content of this web page (or the area related to this description) is not safe.

  As described above, also in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the safety of the web page is determined, and processing using the cloud server 60 is performed according to the result. . Therefore, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the web page is safe by performing the second safety determination process on the web page based on the content information. Therefore, for the content including content that may actually be unsafe, the cloud server 60 can be used to partially image the web page and the MFP 101 can image the web page. Therefore, the security performance of the MFP 101 can be further improved.

  [Third Embodiment]

  Since the basic configuration and basic operation of the image forming system according to the third embodiment are the same as those according to the first embodiment, description thereof will not be repeated here. In the third embodiment, a part of the operations performed by the MFP 101 regarding the web page utilization function is different from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the MFP 101 for the web page use function according to the third embodiment.

  In FIG. 19, the processing of steps S401 to S405 is performed in the same manner as the processing of steps S101 to S105 in FIG. Further, the processing of steps S409 to S413 is performed in the same manner as the processing of steps S107 to S111 in FIG.

  That is, in this embodiment, when it is determined that the web page is safe based on the processing result of the first safety determination process, the area-specific process is further performed on the web page.

  Specifically, when the control unit 105 of the MFP 101 receives the content information transmitted from the web server 70 (step S405), the process of step S406 is performed. That is, in step S406, region-specific processing is performed.

  The area-specific processing in the third embodiment is performed in substantially the same manner as the area-specific processing executed by the cloud server 60 when the web page is determined to be unsafe in the first safety determination processing. The processing of the parts is different. That is, in the area-specific process executed by the MFP 101, the area-specific determination process is performed based on the content information of the web page, but the imaging process for the area determined to be unsafe is not performed in the MFP 101, and the cloud server 60 Done in The result of the imaging process performed by the cloud server 60 is transmitted from the cloud server 60 to the MFP 101.

  In step S407, the control unit 105 receives the post-processing information transmitted from the cloud server 60. That is, the control unit 105 acquires an image of the imaged area.

  In step S <b> 408, the control unit 105 performs web page imaging processing based on the received post-processing information. At this time, the control unit 105 performs imaging based on the content information so that the image of the region imaged by the cloud server 60 is appropriately arranged in the web page.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the region-specific determination performed by the MFP 101 in the third embodiment.

  In FIG. 20, the processes of steps S461 to S463 are performed in the same manner as the processes of steps S161 to S163 of FIG. Further, the process of step S465 is performed in the same manner as the process of step S165 of FIG.

  In the third embodiment, a region-specific determination process is performed for each region (S461, S462), and the region that is not determined to be safe content (S463: YES) is sent to the cloud server 60. The information is notified.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 20, in step S464, the content specifying information of the area determined to be unsafe is notified to the cloud server 60. At this time, the content information of the area may be transmitted, or information that can specify the area using, for example, DOM (Document Object Model) may be transmitted.

  When the content specifying information is transmitted to the cloud server 60 as necessary for each area, the cloud server 60 performs the following operation. In other words, the cloud server 60 can perform two types of operations: an operation for each region as described below, and an operation for performing processing by region for the entire web page (the operation shown in FIG. 10).

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed by the cloud server 60 in the third embodiment.

  In FIG. 21, it is assumed that information that can specify the area is transmitted from the MFP 101 as the content specifying information of the area determined to be unsafe. The cloud server 60 performs an imaging process on this area, and transmits the imaging process result to the MFP 101 as post-processing information.

  That is, in step S421, the control unit 63 receives the content specifying information transmitted from the MFP 101.

  In step S422, the control unit 63 makes a content information transmission request to the web server 70 based on the content specifying information.

  In step S423, the control unit 63 acquires information (region data) on the region specified by the content specifying information among the content information of the web page.

  In step S424, the control unit 63 performs imaging on the area based on the area data (area imaging processing).

  In step S425, the control unit 63 transmits the result of the area imaging process to the MFP 101 as post-processing information.

  It should be noted that when the content information of the area that needs to be imaged is transmitted from the MFP 101 as the content specifying information, the processing after step S423 may be performed.

  As described above, also in the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the safety of the web page is determined, and processing using the cloud server 60 is performed according to the result. Is called. Therefore, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the third embodiment, when it is determined that the web page is safe by the first safety determination process, the region-specific determination is further performed. Therefore, for the content including content that may actually be unsafe, the cloud server 60 can be used to partially image the web page and the MFP 101 can image the web page. Therefore, the security performance of the MFP 101 can be further improved. At this time, the information is transmitted to the cloud server 60 only for the area that is determined to be unsafe by the MFP 101, so that the amount of communication between the cloud server 60 and the MFP 101 and the processing load on the cloud server 60 can be reduced.

  [Others]

  As long as there is no contradiction, a configuration in which the characteristic portions of the above-described embodiments are partially combined may be used. In other words, it is only necessary to determine the safety of the web page by the MFP, perform a predetermined process in the cloud server according to the result, and perform the final imaging process in the MFP. .

  For example, in the MFP, the first safety determination process may not be performed, and the safety of the web page may be determined based on the content information of the web page. Specifically, in the MFP, only the second safety determination process as shown in the second embodiment or the area-specific determination process as shown in the third embodiment may be performed. .

  The domain information included in the determination information and referred to in determining whether or not it is safe is not limited to the domain. For example, the determination may be performed based on a scheme, a port, a host name, or the like.

  The image forming system is not limited to one using a cloud server or the like, and may be one that performs communication between a server and a device in a client server system having a relatively simple configuration. The server device that communicates with the MFP may be one disposed on the intranet side.

  The hardware configuration of each apparatus constituting the image forming system is not limited to the above. Each device may be, for example, an MFP, or a device that is mainly used for a computer or another application using a computer.

  Each apparatus constituting the image forming system may be any of a monochrome / color copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine (MFP) thereof. It is not limited to the one that forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and may be one that forms an image by a so-called inkjet method, for example.

  The processing in the above embodiment may be performed by software or by using a hardware circuit.

  A program for executing the processing in the above-described embodiment can be provided, or the program can be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, or a memory card and provided to the user. It may be. The program may be downloaded to the apparatus via a communication line such as the Internet. The processing described in the text in the above flowchart is executed by the CPU according to the program.

  The above embodiment should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

10 image forming system 60 cloud server (an example of a server device)
67 Image processing unit 69b Control program 70 Web server 75b Content information 90 Internet 101 MFP (an example of an image forming apparatus)
107 Image Processing Unit 119b Control Program 151 Operation Panel 151b Operation Accepting Unit 153 Display Unit

Claims (21)

An image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user.
First acquisition means for acquiring information relating to the web page;
Determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired by the first acquiring means;
According to the determination result of the determining means, transmitting means for transmitting information about the web page to an external server device different from the web server;
Second acquisition means for acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the transmission means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an imaging unit configured to image the web page based on the information acquired by the second acquisition unit. The transmission means transmits information relating to the web page to the server device when the determination means determines that the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied, and the determination means satisfies the predetermined determination condition. If it is determined that the web page is not transmitted to the server device,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the predetermined determination condition is satisfied, the second acquisition unit acquires information for imaging the web page from the web server. The first acquisition means acquires content information of the web page,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on the content information.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a communication protocol for acquiring content included in the web page.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit analyzes an area structure of the web page based on the content information and performs the determination for each area of the web page.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes a condition relating to an attribute of a content included in the area of the web page.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of content included in the web page. Receiving means for accepting an operation for designating a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) related to the web page from the user;
The first acquisition unit acquires the URI received by the reception unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on the URI. A management means for managing the access history to the web page;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes that the web page has been accessed or that the domain to which the web page belongs has been accessed.   The predetermined determination condition is that the web page or the domain to which the web page belongs matches a preset white list, or the domain to which the web page or the web page belongs is set to a preset black list. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image forming apparatus includes incompatibility. A server device capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user.
Receiving means for receiving information on the web page transmitted from the image forming apparatus;
Obtaining means for obtaining content information of the web page based on information received by the receiving means;
Imaging means for performing processing for partially imaging the web page based on the content information obtained by the obtaining means;
A server apparatus comprising: transmission means for transmitting information processed by the imaging means to the image forming apparatus.   The imaging means determines whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the content information acquired by the acquisition means, and performs the imaging process according to the determination result. 11. The server device according to 11.   The server device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a communication protocol for acquiring content included in the web page.   The server device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the determination unit analyzes an area structure of the web page based on the content information, and performs the determination for each area of the web page.   The server device according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to an attribute of content included in the area of the web page.   The server device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined determination condition includes a condition related to a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of content included in the web page. An image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user; and a server apparatus that can communicate with the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring information relating to the web page;
First determination means for determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired by the first acquisition means;
First transmission means for transmitting information relating to the web page to the server device according to a determination result of the first determination means;
Second acquisition means for acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the first transmission means;
Imaging means for imaging the web page based on the information acquired by the second acquisition means;
The server device
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted by the first transmitting means;
Content acquisition means for acquiring content information of the web page based on information received by the reception means;
Server-side imaging means for performing processing for partially imaging the web page based on the information acquired by the content means;
An image forming system comprising: second transmission means for transmitting information processed by the server-side imaging means to the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus control method for imaging a web page provided by an external web server and providing the image to a user.
A first acquisition step of acquiring information relating to the web page;
A determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired in the first acquisition step;
A transmission step of transmitting information relating to the web page to an external server device different from the web server according to a determination result of the determination step;
A second acquisition step of acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the transmission step;
An image forming apparatus control method comprising: an imaging step of imaging the web page based on the information acquired by the second acquisition step. A method for controlling a server device capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user.
A receiving step of receiving information about the web page transmitted from the image forming apparatus;
An obtaining step for obtaining content information of the web page based on the information received by the receiving step;
An imaging step for performing processing for partially imaging the web page based on the content information acquired by the acquiring step;
And a transmission step of transmitting information processed by the imaging step to the image forming apparatus. A control program for an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user.
A first acquisition step of acquiring information relating to the web page;
A determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied based on the information acquired in the first acquisition step;
A transmission step of transmitting information relating to the web page to an external server device different from the web server according to a determination result of the determination step;
A second acquisition step of acquiring information transmitted from the server device after transmission by the transmission step;
A control program for an image forming apparatus, which causes a computer to execute an imaging step for imaging the web page based on the information acquired in the second acquisition step. A control program for a server device capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus that images a web page provided by an external web server and provides the image to a user.
A receiving step of receiving information about the web page transmitted from the image forming apparatus;
An obtaining step for obtaining content information of the web page based on the information received by the receiving step;
An imaging step for performing processing for partially imaging the web page based on the content information acquired by the acquiring step;
A control program for a server apparatus, which causes a computer to execute a transmission step of transmitting information processed by the imaging step to the image forming apparatus.

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